Page 58 of Escaping Pirates
I could barely make my voice audible. “I won’t.”
“Smart girl.” Tyrone leaned back in his chair. “You may think I wanted you because you’re attractive, but pretty faces are cheap to come by. I care much more for what you can help me with in terms of business credibility, and you will do your part.”
“And if I don’t?” I whispered.
“Then the sky won’t be the only thing bleeding red.”
CHAPTER 21
The music in the palace’s ballroom was muffled, as if it had to force its way through the heavy velvet drapes and air thick with pipe smoke. I kept my back straight, chin slightly lifted, trying not to visibly tremble as Tyrone steered me through the crowd with one hand firmly at the small of my back. Much as I disliked his touch, I needed it to aid my balance. I kept my knees bent instinctively, prepared for the lurches of the ship’s deck I’d become accustomed to, but the ground didn’t move. My brain didn’t believe it. I kept feeling the phantom roll of the ocean in my bones, a ghost tide tugging at me and convincing me I was still listing back and forth. I had wobbled all the way down from the dock.
“Your land legs will adapt. Now smile,” he murmured into my ear. “You look like a widow at her fourth funeral.”
I forced my lips into a tight curve, stomach twisting with each step I took. My toes had been wedged into dazzling silver shoes so thin that they appeared to be glass, but as beautiful as they looked, the padding in the shoes was minimal, and the edges cut into my skin so sharply I kept imagining myheel being cut off.
The navy silk dress was one of the finest I’d ever worn, a true testament to Tyrone’s impeccable taste, and was stitched with shining silver embroidery. A heavy necklace hung around my neck like a collar. It felt like the kind of thing meant to say I belonged to someone, and tonight, that someone was Tyrone. I may as well have been manacled for how far I was allowed to venture from him that evening.
Pirates might call this a ball, but it was like none I had ever attended. Men with too many rings and too few morals lined the walls, sipping rum or gambling at the side tables. There were women here too, but most eyed the men with a predatory gleam, seeming to calculate the net worth of each man before they pounced.
Tyrone leaned closer, breath warm against my temple. “You see the man with the striped sash? That’s Dargen, the captain of a rumrunner. He’s trying to break into Berkway’s trade routes. You’re going to help him believe he’s already halfway there.”
I turned my head slightly to look at the unfamiliar man. Dargen was speaking with a thin man in a suit of emerald velvet. He looked impatient and dangerous. Father never would have done business with a man like that.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked tonelessly. I was merely Tyrone’s puppet tonight, a role I would willingly play to protect Harlan for another day.
Tyrone guided me forward. “Whatever I tell you. Just nod, laugh, and act like your daddy will gladly sign on whatever deal I say.”
I stepped carefully, the shoes pinching at my toes and heels as my mind raced. If I made a single mistake or told the wrong lie, Tyrone wouldn't be the one to pay for it. Harlan would.
Tyrone plastered on his most charming smile as hereached the man. “Captain Dargen, a pleasure. Might I introduce Elena Arkwright, eldest daughter of the Arkwright shipping family out of Haven Harbor.”
I gave a slight curtsy, my pulse pounding.
Dargen looked me over with the disinterest of someone appraising a statue. “Arkwright, you say? Thought that family kept to their fancy manor houses and treaty papers. Didn’t know they let their daughters out among men such as yourself.”
“Only the useful daughters,” Tyrone returned smoothly. “Elena’s slated to inherit her father’s fleet, and with that, the ability to invest in some...creative ventures.”
Dargen’s eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”
I smiled tightly. “It’s true. My father’s expanding his company, and he wants to partner with those who understand opportunity when they see it.”
“And you’re here to find them?”
Tyrone answered for me. “We’re looking for someone with reach and discretion. Someone who could help run goods through the Eastline shipping company without drawing too much attention.”
“Eastline’s an attractive option right now. The new republic has its eyes on every harbor.”
“Which is why you need someone with the kind of papers and legitimacy my future wife can offer.”
I stiffened at the wordsfuture wifebut smiled like it was a compliment.
Dargen’s gaze slid to me. “Is that what you’re offering, sweetheart? A clean name on dirty sails?”
I held his eyes. “I’m offering a future that keeps your cargo moving and your enemies guessing.”
There was a pause. Then Dargen let out a short, barking laugh. “I’ll think about it.”
Tyrone clapped him on the shoulder. “Do. But don’t take too long. Arkwright investment doesn’t wait.”
